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 COVETOUSNESS

462

COVINGTON

bled" the conformist curates. The day of the Cove- nants had long since passed. How much the ancient spirit of Presbyterianism was broken was clearly seen by the subservient letter in which James was thanked for the Indulgence of 1687, for allowing all "toserve God after their own way and manner" (Wodrow, IV, 428, note). The majority had learned to submit to compromise, and thus at the Revolution the Scottish nation forgot the Covenants and was allowed to retain Presbyterianism. The strife of a century between Kirk and State had come to an end. Both sides in the struggle had in fact lost and won. The king had been defeated in his attempt to dictate the religion of his subjects; Presbyterianism became the established re- ligion. But it had been equally proved that the sub- jection of the State to the Church, the supremacy, political as well as ecclesiastical, of the Kirk, was an impossibility. In this the Covenants had failed.

Lang, A History of Scotland (Edinburgh and London, 1904), vol. Ill; Hume Brown, History of Scotland {Cambridge. 1905), vol. 11; Burton, History of Scotland (Edinburgh and London, 1870), vols. VI and VII; Mathieson, Politics and Reliyion in Scotland (Glasgow, 1902); Stephen, History of Scoltiih Church (Edinburgh, 1894-96). — Contemporary authorities: Row, His- tory of the Kirk of Scotland (1558-1637) (Wodrow Societv, 1841); Balfour. Annals of Scotland (to 1652) (Edinburgh, 1824); Bailue, Letters and Journals (1637-1662) (Bannatvne Club, Edinburgh, 1841-42); Spalding, History of the Troubles in England and Scotland (1624-45) (Bannatyne Club. Edin- burgh, 1828-29; Gordon. History of Scots Affairs from ic." to 161,1 (Spalding Club, Aberdeen, 1841.); Petkrkin. ff.f.jnfe of the Kirk of Scotland (from 1638) (Edinburt-h ls:i:>: W ni,- Row, The History of the Sufferings of the ( ' ' ■ -- ',':'/ from the Restoration to the Revolution (Glas^.v 1^ n l,ii:k-

ton. The Secret and True History of the f /, ",l

(Edinburgh, 1817); Lauderdale Papers (IGoJ rU/ iL.iiaciiii Society, London, 1884-85).

Noel J. C.\»ipbell.

Covetousness, generally, an unre.isonable desire for what we do not possess. In this sense, it iliffiTS from (•iiiiru|>isii-uee only in the implied notion of non- possession, and thus may cover all things which are sought after inordinately. Classified under this gen- eral head, we may have covetousness of honours, or pride ; of the flesh, or concupiscence properly so called ; ofriches,orcovetousness proper (Lat. avaritiu), or ava- rice. When covetousness of the flesh or of wealth has for its object that which is already the lawful posses- sion of another, it falls under the ban of the Ninth or Tenth Commandment of God; and such desires, wil- fully indulged, partake, as we are told by the Lord (Matt., v), in their malice, of the nature of the external acts themselves. For he who deliberately desires the possession of another man's lawful wife or goods has already in his heart committed the sin of adultery or theft. In its specific meaning, covetousness looks to riches in themselves, whether of money or of property, whether possessed or not, and pertains less to their acquisition than to their possession or accumulation. Thus defined, it is numbered among the sins which are called capital, because it is, as St. Paul says (Tim., vi), a radix omnium peccatomm.

The capital sin of covetousness is in reality rather a vice or inclination to sin, which is sinful only in that it proceeds from the unholy condition of origi- nal sin in which we are born, and because it leads us into sin. And so far is the desire — natural in us all — to acquire and hold possessions from being re- proved as offensive by God, that, if kept within the bounds of reason and justice and resisted triumph- antly in its inordinate cravings, it is positively meri- torious. Even when indulged, covetousness is not a grievous sin, except in certain cuiiditions which in- volve offence of God or the neighbour, e. g. when one is prepared to employ, or does actually employ, illicit or unjust means to satisfy the desire of riche.s, holds to them in defiance of the strict d(-mands of justice or charity, makes them the end rather than the means of happiness, or suffers them to interfere seriously with one's bounden duty to God or m.an. Nourished and developed into an imrestricted habit, it becomes the

fruitful mother of all manner of perfidy, heartlessnesa and unrest.

Slater. Manual of Moral Theology (New York, 1908), I; Lehmkuhl, Theologia Moralis (Freiburg. 1898). I.

John H. Stapleton.

Covington, Diocese op (Covingtonensis), com- prises that part of Kentucky, U. S. A., lying east of the Kentucky River, and of the western limits of Carroll, Owen, Franklin, Woodford, Jessamine, Gar- rard, Rockcastle, Laurel, and Whitley Counties, an area of 17,286 square miles. It was established 29 July, 1853, by the division of the Diocese of Louis- ville, then embracing the whole State of Kentucky. This portion of the State had been ministered to by a body of clergy conspicuous for ability, learning, and devotion to duty. White Sulphur, the first organ- ized congregation in this jurisdiction, rejoiced in the zealous administration of a Kenrick, who in later

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years graced the metropolitan See of Baltimore, and of a Reynolds, destined to become successor of the great Bishop England of Charleston. Lexington was grow- ing into an important parish under the watcliful guid- ance of Rev. John McGill, afterwards Bishop of Rich- mond, Virginia. All of tlie clergy manifested in their lives the glorious traditions of Flaget, Badin, David, and Nerinckx, whose successors they were. Catholic immigration has been almost exclusively confined to two nationalities: German anil Irish. The former compose a large majority of the Catholic population of the cities and towns along the Ohio River, while the latter have sought the interior of the diocese. In Covington and Newport German Catholics predomi- nate, while in Lexington, Frankfort, and Paris, the Irish are in the majority. Lying south of Mason and Dixon's Line, although rich in raw material, the dio- cese has been handicapped by a lack of industrial and mineral development. Within its confines there is a total population of about 900,000, of whom 54,423 are Catholic. The attitude of non-Catholics is uniformly respectful, considerate, and kind.

Bishops. — (1) The choice of the Holy See for the first bishop of the new diocese fell upon the Rev. George Alov.sius C.vrrell, S. J., rector of St. Francis Xavier's Church, Cincinnati. He was born ; in Philadelphia, 13 June. 1803. ordained priest 20 De- cember, 1827, and entered the Society of Jesus 19 August, 183,^. He was consecrated 1 November, 1S53, at Cincinnati. The burden resting on the shoul- ders of the new bishop of a diocese sparsely settled by 8000 Catholics, without influence or material re- i sources, was a hca\-y one; but at his death (25 Sept., 1868), after fourteen years of zealous labours, he left it thoroughly organized with a Catholic population i three times as great as he found there, a self-sacrifio- i